“They were interested before I left United and meetings took place with my representatives. I was worried they wouldn’t have the money to buy me and that’s what happened.

“I went to West Brom but even then I still felt that one day I’d like to play for Rangers.

“I grew up two miles from Ibrox and always hoped I’d get a chance to play there.

“The first game I went to was against Aberdeen at Ibrox when Gazza scored a hat-trick to win eight in a row.

“I was only five so can’t remember too much about it. But Gazza was my hero growing up then I loved watching Gio van Bronckhorst in the Dick Advocaat era.

“It wouldn’t faze me if I played in the Championship with Rangers because they’re only one year away from the top flight. As long as there’s an opportunity for me to develop and get regular football I’d take it.

“But I need to weigh up my options. There’s also interest from England and abroad so hopefully I’ll have a choice and big decisions to make over the summer.

“Going abroad really appeals to me and I feel my game is suited to Europe. If that came up I’d have to think about it too.”

Allan was hailed as a potential superstar at Dundee United and earned his £300,000 move to The Hawthorns where Roy Hodgson was manager.

He was loaned to Portsmouth where he excelled under Michael Appleton in the Championship. But after a string of temporary deals fell through Allan found himself at MK Dons then Pompey again – but in League One under a different boss.

Last term West Brom farmed him out to Birmingham where, after shining early on, manager Lee Clark dropped him, accusing him of lacking workrate.

But Allan grafted back into Clark’s plans as Birmingham escaped relegation on the final day of the season.

The Scot said: “I’ve been unlucky in England. Some managers take a liking to you and others don’t.

“Getting dropped at Birmingham was hard to take but I worked hard and at the tail end of the season forced my way back in when the gaffer really needed someone like me in the team.

“The only run I had was at Portsmouth and it’s no coincidence it was my best spell of form.

“It was because I had a manager who trusted me. Michael Appleton let me play my own game. He’s a top coach and he’s highly rated by a lot of people.

“When other moves fell through I found myself back at Pompey the following season but this time they were in League One. That was really frustrating.”

Allan admits fans north of the border might think his career has gone off track since joining West Brom where he failed to make it into the first team.

But he’s adamant he’s a much improved player now from the one who left Tannadice in 2012.

He said: “I can understand why people in Scotland might have forgotten about me.

“They’ve seen me playing well for the Scotland Under-21s and after that good spell at Portsmouth they would have expected me to kick on. I did too.

“But it just didn’t happen for me. A few things were supposed to materialise regarding loan deals but they didn’t. West Brom killed it for me because of the loan fees they were looking for.

“But I can assure people I’m a much better player now than when I left United.

“I’ve added so much more to my game – I just haven’t had enough minutes on the pitch.”